Winter in Orlando: Exploring Disney Springs & Universal

Intro

After escaping a snowy New York City for what was supposed to be a warm birthday getaway in Florida, I quickly realized Mother Nature had other plans. A rare winter cold front followed me across the Sunshine State, turning my tropical escape into an unexpectedly chilly adventure. But as any traveler knows, sometimes the best memories come from the trips that don’t go exactly as planned.

In this post, I’ll take you through the final days of my Orlando adventure, from checking into Universal’s retro-themed Cabana Bay Beach Resort and enjoying a quiet evening at Disney Springs, to riding my favorite attractions at Universal Orlando Resort before catching my flight back home. Despite the cold temperatures, there was still plenty of magic, incredible food, and unforgettable moments packed into every hour of this birthday trip. Let’s jump into one last adventure in Orlando!

From NYC to Florida

In my previous posts I showed how I was doing the best I could to enjoy Florida during a cold front, but the whole point of this trip was to celebrate my birthday, AND escape the cold from New York City. Well, apparently that was not going to be the case.

From snowy New York, I took a flight to Miami where I had an event that night, and then the next morning I would go to Orlando very early to take advantage of the few days I would be in the sunshine state.

Needed a quick hotel stay in Miami, so I did one of the cheapest, yet decent stays close to the Miami Airport, just to get ready and sleep a couple of hours during the event and before Orlando.

Very early in the morning, at 5.37 AM I was already getting to the Brightline Station, for the train that would take me to Orlando, where I would enjoy the day at Disney World.

Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort

After a successful day at Disney World and another not too good at Busch Gardens Tampa, because of the cold front, I was now back in the Universal Orlando Resort, where I would spend the rest of my stay in Orlando. Since at this point in time I was an Annual Passholder I would just check in the parks anytime.

I picked the Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort for my stay since it is pretty close, and offers the early entry and the buses to the parks and CityWalk, and while checking in I saw Tigress from the Kung Fu Panda series doing meet and greets. I love seeing characters at the hotels.

The room was very spacious and cute, like most of the Universal Parks. Not to throw shade at Disney, but their rooms tend to be way smaller, especially in the value resorts.

And the view was good too. I really liked having getting back so early from Tampa, so we could check in early at this hotel and not too late at night, especially in the winter when it is dark early.

Disney Springs

That night was the only chance to go to Disney Springs, and I really needed to check out this open mall at the Walt Disney World. I Ubered there and was shocked how empty it was, probably because of the cold front, a lot of people were avoiding it. My first stop was Salt & Straw for ice cream.

I know, it is kind of crazy to get ice cream when you are in the middle of a cold front, but this one healed me lol.

I needed some protein after all the sweets I had today, and was about to have, so I went to Chicken Guy! here at Disney Springs, and got some chicken sticks. It was actually really good. I devoured it so quick.

And the unavoidable stop was Gideon’s Bakehouse, home of the best cookies in the world in my opinion, although, lately I have been having an affinity for Levain Bakery cookies here in New York City.

And with gloves on, I had to also drink my Peanut Butter Cold Brew. It’s just so good, I did not care if was freezing outside. And well, I saved all the cookies that I bought for later when I was in NYC. I usually eat them within 3-5 days while in the fridge.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure

After all these side quests, it was time to go to Universal Orlando. I decided to sleep in, and come a little bit later, even though it was my last day in Florida, and I was going to fly out later. So I only had a few hours to enjoy the 2 parks.

I decided to start with Islands of Adventure, because of course I had to go to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. But what I was not expecting was a 2 hour wait in this cold. The ride got also delayed which did not help, but I was committed to do my favorite ride in the whole park and probably Orlando.

Single rider was at capacity, but at least I was able to get inside now, out of the way of the cold front. I usually miss this scene for some reason.

Almost there, and the immersion of this attraction is unimaginable from start to finish.

After 2 and a half hours I was finally done with the amazing Hagrid’s ride, and now I had to get a hot butterbeer from Hog’s Head. I am surprised not many know this trick, and they go and wait in line at the Butterbeer Trolley. For some reason, this drink tastes amazing when it is freezing outside. During Summer tho, my favorite is for sure the frozen one.

Time to say bye to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with a view of the amazing Hogwart’s Castle…

And go to the neighbor Jurassic Park. Unfortunately the Velocicoaster had a 90 min wait.

And the Single Rider line was also closed. I had to make the decision to skip it this time around…

But at least I got this delicious empanada from one of the food booths in the Jurassic Park area of the park. Very Colombian of them for doing that.

The Hogwarts Express did not have a long wait, so I figured it would be a good way to get to the other park, and definitely was fun as always.

Universal Orlando Resort

Once in Universal Orlando Resort, the clock started ticking for my flight later that day, so I had to use the most of the remaining time to enjoy this park. And my favorite land is definitely Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Escape from Gringotts is the perfect example of a story coaster, which Universal knows how to do best. And the Single Rider line for this one was open, so I took advantage of it.

In no time I was in and out of that attraction. Definitely a win-win in this park.

To celebrate, and also because I had not eaten much today, I went to get Fish and Chips from Leaky Cauldron, and you know I am an expert on Fish and Chips from all over the world lol.

The last minutes at the park, and while exploring while leaving, I noticed the Food Booths from the Mardi Gras Festival happening in a bit.

I definitely need to come back while this festival is happening. I am surprised I have never attended the parade.

And as I went out I noticed the new Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift attraction taking shape. It is surely going to be so much fun when it opens in 2027.

But that’s all for now. From here I went to MCO Orlando International Airport and took my flight back to NYC. I enjoyed Orlando being a little bit chilly but was definitely what I was not expecting. Now I had to come back to Busch Gardens with the free ticket, and this would be the last time I come as an Annual Pass Holder, so I would have to renew that.

Next trip was around the corner. Let’s see where I would go.